Last weekend, Whitney’s parents, Ben and Elaine, visited from Idaho. Their time with us was replete with apple picking at Carter Mountain Orchard, target practice in the woods, and a 10k for Whitney and Ben.

Ben and Elaine joined a long list of visitors we’ve had at the farm over the past 10 months. One of the benefits of the house at the farm is its ample space for guests. None of the four of us have recently lived in places that accommodated visitors from outside of town, so we knew that living at the Thomas Farm would provide opportunities for our friends and family to stop by and stay a while for a change. Therefore, it wouldn’t be particularly complete to reflect on our time here without commenting on our guests and how they’ve impacted our experience. (more…)

This weekend we took advantage of the fine weather, which began in the middle of last week with the arrival of Carl “Bringer of Spring” Bear, to get some work done. To make room in the beds, we divided and potted some garlic chive plants. Garlic chive plants prolifically reseed if their flowers aren’t chopped off, so they had gotten a little out of hand. We spread some of our garlic chive wealth at church the next day, selling some plants for an average of $0.83 a piece. We probably could have made more if Kristin was doing the selling rather than me. I’d much rather grow the crops than market them. Luckily, Kristin would rather market than tend to the crops. (more…)

There’s not a whole lot to report. In truth, we’re still recovering a bit from last weekend’s atmospheric drama.

We’re getting very close to planting our first crop — broccoli. Whitney and I purchased planters, vermiculite, and potting soil at Fifth Season in Charlottesville. Caleb has gone through much effort, combing various sources to average out the “optimum” time for planting our seeds. Of course, the ground is still covered with snow. These seeds are to be planted in the basement. (more…)